The large black jaguar swam through deep water, his powerful strokes carrying him forward until he reached the edge. Using claws as sharp as razors, he pulled his heavy body out and onto the bank. Midnight colored flanks heaved from exhaustion, the rosettes barely noticeable underneath the palette of black, as they glistened underneath the artificial light that gently illuminated the jungle room.
The cat barked a warning and jumped easily up onto a large branch that jutted out over the water. His tail flickered back and forth lazily. The animal was anything but. His mouth hung loose and he began to pant as anxiety once more drifted through his veins.
It roared once more, angered that the woman he wanted to claim, needed to claim, was being denied him. He was at war with the humanity that lived deep inside his soul. The part of him that held back, the part that ran on emotion.
The animal in him only wanted to mate. And no one but Libby would do.
It was a pleasure long denied.
A noise broke through the eerie silence, and the cat swung his great head toward the far corner. He growled low and deep from his chest, standing up and scenting the air. Without a sound he jumped back toward the embankment and crept slowly through the underbrush, disappearing into his surroundings.
With great stealth the cat moved forward, creeping low amidst the underbrush. He sensed a presence to his left and veered to the right, quickly circling back until a scent reached his nostrils. The cat began to tremble then, so great was his excitement, and as he stalked ever closer to his prey, it was harder for the human side to maintain control.
Up ahead a shadow passed before him, and with a mighty run and leap his great paws knocked his prey to the ground, landing on top in a rush of muscle and bone.
“For Christ sakes Jaxon, get the hell off of me.”
With a powerful push Declan wrangled his way from beneath the heavy animal, his face thunderous. “You weigh a fucking ton. Do that again and I’ll be forced to use dark magick on you. You wanna stay a pussy forever?”
The two of them stood for a few seconds, chests heaving, and then mist began to creep around the black cat. It lovingly caressed the powerful beast, enveloping it in its tendrils, encouraging the change until, a few seconds later, Jaxon stood in its place.
His tall frame was awash in sweat, glistening under the light that made its way through the heavy overhang of jungle fauna. His lips were pulled back into a rakish grin, and he flexed the long muscles in his arms, rotating his neck in an effort to calm the beast that still wanted to hunt.
His naked form slowly crossed to a pile of clothes left near the hidden entrance, and he pulled his jeans on, letting his chest fill with air. The clan tattoos that colored his left shoulder and curved down around his abs seemed luminescent.
Declan waited until Jaxon’s breathing slowed down, then he joined him near the entrance. His face was tense, putting Jaxon on alert.
“We need to go. Ana’s done her exam and she wants us both in the war room, pronto.”
“How does she seem?”
“She’s extremely concerned.”
Jaxon paused for a moment, exhaling slowly. “I wasn’t talking about Ana.”
Declan avoided his eyes, mumbling under his breath, “Ana will explain everything.”
He turned and exited Jaxon’s sanctuary.
Jaxon followed, trying his best to push back the heavy knot of dread that hung low in his belly. Declan wasn’t himself. He wasn’t screaming for Libby’s blood, shouting sarcastic comments at him. He was aloof.
Fuck. That couldn’t be good.
He quickly walked down the hall, turning right until he came into the open atrium that led to the war room. Declan and Ana were already inside, settled in front of a bank of computer screens. As he entered, they both stopped talking, and Ana turned, indicating he take a seat at the table.
She was avoiding his eyes.
The knot deep in his gut was getting bigger. He quietly moved toward the long table, but leaned his hip against it, refusing to sit.
It was never a good idea to sit when you were about to receive bad news. And he knew, as surely as the sun would rise, that a whole lot of crap was about to be dropped in his lap.
Ana was fidgeting with her notes. Exasperated, impatience clawed at him. He wasn’t someone to wait and take things as they would come. He was a jaguar warrior, and had always run head first into battle.
This was no different.
“What the hell did you find out, Ana?” he demanded. “I don’t have all day to wait. Someone shot at my ass last night and I need to figure out who the hell it is before they try again.”
The vampire cleared her throat and lifted her troubled eyes unit they met Jaxon’s. The confusion and pain that lay there hit him hard in the gut.
“Is Libby all right? What the hell did you do to her?” He growled deeply and sprang forward, stopping when Declan’s hand pushed him back.
“Jax! Let her speak.”
Ana paused, before plunging forward, her voice soft, but her tone determined.
“I can give you the bad news first…actually there is no good news, so I’ll just start at the top.”
Jaxon’s eyes narrowed and his face became blank, but his eyes never left the petite vampire.
“First off, I’m not sure how much time we have. I found a chip embedded on the side of her hip. I removed it, ran a few tests, and confirmed exactly what it was.”
“And that would be?”
“A tracking device.”
“Son of a bitch.” Declan spoke up. “That’s just fucking lovely.”
Jaxon shot a furious look at him and turned back to Ana. “We’ll deal with that after I find out what the hell happened to her.”
Ana exhaled softly before she continued. “I ran a number of tests on Libby, and while I can’t tell exactly where she has been these last three years, I can at least tell you what was done to her.” Her dark eyes moved to Declan and back to Jaxon before falling to the notes in front of her.
“She’s been tortured over a long period of time. How long, I can’t really tell, but if I had to guess I would say years. She has a number of fractures, some of which are the result of old injuries. She also has a number of newer ones, including two ribs that were broken on her left side. That particular fracture hasn’t healed properly and is causing her a lot of discomfort.”
Ana looked to Declan. “I’m hoping you can help in regards to that. I did give her something for the pain, but that’s only a short-term solution.”
She sighed heavily before returning to her notes, and Jaxon felt his insides thicken into ice at the sight of a woman, usually so in control, now shaken and disturbed.
“She was tortured with knives. There are a series of wounds along her back and crossing over the top of her buttocks. They are deep and would have been extremely painful. I also found evidence of old burn marks that were inflicted in the same area.”
The knot inside Jaxon exploded and his fist pounded the table. Then he grabbed a chair and flung it hard against the door. His fury was so strong and all consuming that Declan had to grab him, pinning his arms behind his back in an effort to contain the beast that was roaring for release.
Ana jumped up and went to Jaxon, her arms going around him, calming him with her softness and compassion. “Please, Jax, let me finish and then we can figure out how to get the bastards who did this.”
Jaxon inhaled deeply, relaxing gradually, until Declan felt it was safe to release his arms. Nothing more was said, and Ana returned to her notes, though Jaxon had the impression it was only to keep her eyes away from his. She knew damn well what she’d written in her report.
“There were also similar signs of torture on the bottom of her feet. I did a CT scan, and other than a few smaller fractures to her skull, I thought everything was normal. At first nothing jumped out at me, but then I noticed a blemish that seems almost unnatural. I’m not convinced the amnesia is linked to the torture and abuse she experienced. I’m more inclined
to think that there has been some sort of block put on her memories.”
“But that would mean—” Declan stopped as his eyes flew to Jaxon’s.
“Yeah, Dec,” Ana said. “It would mean dark arts are at play here.”
Jaxon watched her bite her lip, fighting the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her—and that, more than anything, scared the crap out of him. Ana was always cool under pressure. She could take anything thrown at her and remain calm, but this—this was hitting far too close to home.
Mind rape hurt, almost as much as—
He couldn’t finish his thought, but he managed to say, “Was she…?”
Ana shook her head, “I don’t know, Jaxon. At that point during my physical examination she was getting too emotional and wouldn’t let me continue. I can’t tell you if she was assaulted or not. What I can say is that I noticed a long thin scar, low on her abdomen.”
“Well, what the hell does that mean?”
“It could mean nothing.” Ana took a deep breath. “But it looks to me like a scar indicating a birth by cesarean section.”
“What!” Jaxon’s voice was hoarse and his eyes full of disbelief.
“Jaxon, I’m sorry. I can’t be sure unless I do a further examination, but the scar’s diameter and positioning lend itself to my theory.”
“Well, if she had a fucking baby, where the hell is it?”
“I wish I could answer that.”
Ana was about to go on when a resounding explosion rocked the building.
Jaxon swore a long string of profanities as he moved quickly to the computers. Declan, close on his heels, looked back to Ana. “Guess that’s them shouting hell-fucking-O.”
Within seconds a light began to flash above the door, illuminating them in a wash of red. A buzzer sounded and a large screen to their right came alive. Then Cracker’s large mug was staring down at them, and they watched him calmly look away and spit as another blast tore through the outer perimeter.
“Jaxon,” he said calmly, “as I’m sure you can tell, we’re under attack.”
“Yeah, I can see that. How the hell did they get near us without you knowing?”
“Not sure. But judging by the vibrations and harmonics that are ripping through the area, Declan’s protection wards are not going to last much longer. It doesn’t look good. There is a large and well-trained group of men on the other side of the courtyard, and I think it’s time to vamoose.”
“Call the dogs and get inside the building. Declan is on his way to put more wards in place. We need time to follow protocol before we leave.”
“Roger that. I’ll be up in a few.”
The screen went blank, and Jaxon flexed his hands as hot anger began to boil deep inside him. He also felt excitement at the thought of a fight, and tried to maintain a professional manner when all he wanted to do was unleash the power that lay within him, waiting for the chance to attack.
“How the hell did they breach our perimeter and go undetected until they were able to set off charges?” His voice thundered from his chest, but no one could answer his question.
Declan crossed to a large cabinet and grabbed a satchel. He filled the bag with an assortment of weapons, going heavy on anything antimagick. His stash included a charmed serrated knife, a Glock, and several charges. When he was done, he shouldered the bag and turned toward Jaxon. His body hummed with energy but his face was tense and when he spoke, his voice was low. They both knew this was about as serious as it got. No one had ever been able to breach their defenses.
“Someone with knowledge of the dark arts is here. It’s all connected. Libby, you, and what happened to Diego three years ago as well.”
Declan gave a quick nod and then headed for the door, “I’ll set up some stronger protection wards, but I can only buy us maybe ten minutes, if that. We need to start destruction protocol and get the hell out of here.”
As he disappeared, Ana’s fingers began flying over the keyboard. Jaxon watched as she dumped any sensitive material still on the hard drives, before destroying all that remained.
He grabbed a phone and waited impatiently to be connected with the head of PATU in Washington, D.C. It was a direct line and only to be used in case of emergency. He felt the building shake, and snorted. If ever there was a time…
After three rings it was answered.
“Identification?”
“Alpha nine two nine zero three.”
“Code?”
“Blood fucking red! Get Drake on the phone now.” His growl was loud, savage, and he was immediately patched through to Commander Joshua Drake, who answered on the first ring.
“Castille, what’s the situation?”
“We’re under attack, sir. Not sure who the enemy is, but there are definite dark arts involved, and the players are well-organized and well-trained.”
“You’ve begun destructive protocol?”
“Yes sir. Ana is dumping everything right now.”
There was a slight pause before Commander Drake continued. “Ana? I thought she was on a job in Alaska.”
“She was, but I called her in. I can’t go into specifics but Declan is here as well. We’ll be in touch at some point tomorrow, but you’d better send a cleanup crew here ASAP.”
“Now, Jaxon, hold on. I need to know what you’re up to and where the hell you’re going—”
But Jaxon had already hung up and turned to Ana. “We have everything we need?”
“Yes, I’m dumping the last of the files now and then I’ll run the destruct program. That should only take a couple of minutes.”
“Good, I’m going to grab some extra weapons and then get Libby. We’ll head out through the tunnels.” His eyes pierced the dark eyes of the vampire. “If we get separated, we’ll regroup at Jagger’s cabin up north.”
Ana shook her head. “No problem. Just make sure you get your ass out to the boat before this building goes up in smoke. My skin doesn’t mix well with fire, and I really don’t want to have to brave a wall of flames looking for an overgrown kitty.”
Jaxon ignored her comment, his mind already running ahead, making plans, fighting the urge to grab Libby and run.
Cracker and Declan arrived just as he was leaving, their faces red with exertion. The two large patrol dogs panted alongside their master, and Jaxon waved him through.
“Take the tunnels. We rendezvous in Jersey and then head north to Jagger’s cabin. He’s been off the grid for a while, don’t think he’ll mind.”
Cracker nodded coolly, grabbed a few more guns from the rack, and called the dogs to follow him out. Declan’s eyes were troubled as they settled on Jaxon.
“We don’t have long before they breach the wards. That was some heavy shit surrounding the perimeter. Real dark stuff; I don’t recognize the signature.” His eyes narrowed and his voice became deadly. “Looks like we have a new player in town.”
Jaxon snarled then, the beast clawing hard at him, wanting out. “I say bring it on.”
He turned as Ana piped in, “Okay, I have all we need. The destruct program is almost finished and the timer has been set. We have exactly ten minutes before this whole place goes to shit. So I suggest we make haste and get the hell out of here.”
Declan flashed a wicked smile at them both, “I know the shit is literally hitting the fan, but man, I haven’t had this much fun in a long time. Feels good. Can’t wait to kick me some fucking ass.”
“Good,” Jaxon said. “You accompany Ana through the tunnels.” He looked at his watch. “The sun is already setting so you’re good to go. I’m going to grab Libby and I’ll meet you at the docks.”
Ana tucked a large laptop under her arm and retrieved the bag full of disks, while Declan waited for her. Then she pulled up short and whirled around. “Christ! Jaxon, about Libby.”
“What now?” Exasperation exploded from him as the need to get Libby to safety weighed down on him.
“I had to give her a sedative to calm her. Sorry, she’ll slow you
down.”
Jaxon nodded, his lips tight, and then he sprinted down the hall to Libby’s room.
She was sitting on the bed, her body covered by a thin gown, shaking her head slowly, with jerky uncoordinated movements. He crossed to her quickly, flinching at her violent reaction when another blast shook the foundation of the building.
To her right a fresh pile of clothes had been laid out, and he grabbed for them, snatching up a shirt and a pair of jeans. His hands stilled as her scent wafted up into his nose. Ana had managed to find some of Libby’s old clothes, and for that he was grateful.
His eyes moved over her slight form and he knew they would no longer fit, but it was all they had.
Her head slowly lolled to the side and her eyes shifted up toward his. There was no reaction; no fear, anxiety…nothing but shadowed violet. Damn, what the hell had Ana given her? A goddamn horse tranquilizer?
He reached for her and met no resistance, and even though her body was trembling in wild rapid movements, he managed to lift her up until she was leaning against him.
The feel of her soft curves against his hardness was so familiar, an ache formed immediately, deep in his gut. The intensity of it stunned him, and Jaxon shook his head angrily.
His fingers fell to the tie at the top of her gown and he yanked it undone, but he was gentle while pulling the fabric from her body. She whimpered then, and he froze, not wanting to alarm her, but the need for speed propelled his hands and he turned her to the side, his eyes avoiding her nakedness as he grabbed the jeans and bent to help her legs into them.
He pulled them up, the worn denim slipping over her soft skin and hips. He looked away from the soft center between her legs, but his hands stilled as they reached the scar now visible to him, low on her abdomen. His fingers reached for it, and he softly caressed the thin, faded line, feeling her muscles clench against his touch.
His eyes slowly traveled up, past the flat stomach, before settling on the gentle swell of her breasts. The rosy nipples were puckered from the cold, but the soft globes were firm and well rounded.
At the moment, they were slowly rocking as she inhaled deeply. His eyes moved from them until they locked onto the deep violet orbs that stared down at him intently.
His Darkest Hunger Page 8
